WE'LL FIND RELIEF IN A FEW DAYS. Carmen: WE'VE GOT A MAJOR NEW DEVELOPMENT IN THE CASE AGAINST BOB BASHARA AND HIS FORMER ATTORNEY, REVEALED ON DAY ONE OF THE BASHARA'S PRELIMINARY EXAM. Devin: TODAY, THE PROSECUTION DROPPED A BOMBSHELL ABOUT A SECRET WEAPON THAT MAY HAVE BEEN HIDDEN IN A LOCKED OFFICE UNTIL JFT LAST WEEK. HANK WINCHESTER WAS IN THE COURTROOM TODAY AND COULD MEAN BIG TROUBLE FOR BASHARA'S FORMER ATTORNEY DAVID GRIEM. Hank: HE COULD BE CHARGED CRIMINALLY. IT WAS CRAZY OUTSIDE THE COURTROOM AS THE SEARCH WAS ON. ONCE WE WERE ALLOWED INSIDE AND THIS GOT GOING, THERE WAS PLENTY OF DRAMA INSIDE THE COURTHOUSE. YOU'RE LOOKING AT AN EVIDENCE PHOTO OF BOB BASHARA'S ALLEGED SECRET GUN, A WEAPON JOE GENTZ SAID BOB BASHARA HELD TO HIS HEAD AS HE KILLED JANE BASHARA. TODAY, BASHARA'S OWN MOTHER TOOK THE STAND SAYING HER SON GAVE HER A POUCH TELLING HER TO PUT IT IN HER SAFE DEPOSIT BOX. SHE LOOKED INSIDE AND DISCOVERED THE WEAPON. WHAT DID YOU DO? I OPENED IT UP AND I SAW A GUN. Hank: BASHARA'S MOTHER AND COUSIN SAY WHEN THEY DISCOVERED THE WEAPON, THEY HANDED IT OVER TO HIS ATTORNEY AT THE TIME, DAVID GRIEM. IT REMAINED LOCKED UP IN GRIEM'S OFFICE FOR MORE THAN A YEAR. TWO LEGAL EXPERTS TOLD HIM TO HANG ON TO THE WEAPON. THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THAT COMES OUT IN EVIDENCE 101 OR ANY LAW SCHOOL BOOK. I SAFEGUARDED THAT GUN. Hank: TODD FLED SAID HE COULD FACE CHARGES. TAMPERING WITH EVIDENCE. Hank: A FRIEND HAS BEEN IN THE DUNGEON AND ALSO JANE BASHARA'S BEST FRIEND. SHE SAID BOB IS A BIG FLIRT. Hank: BACK OUT HERE LIVE. SO HOW DID INVESTIGATORS LEARN ABOUT THE WEAPON JUST LAST WEEK? WELL, BOB BASHARA'S COUSIN, STEPHANIE, WHO HAD COME FORWARD TO DAVID GRIEM WITH HIS MOTHER SAYING THEY FOUND THE GUN MORE THAN A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, LAST WEEK SHE WAS GOING THROUGH SOME OF HIS ITEMS AND DISCOVERED BULLETS. SHE SAID, WE'VE HANDED OVER A GUN, AND AT THAT POINT POLICE SAID, A GUN? WE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT. THEY PUT THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE TOGETHER RETRIEVING THE GUN FROM ATTORNEY DAVID GRIEM. Carmen: WE KNOW YOU'LL STAY

DETROIT -

Prosecutors say a key hearing now underway for a man from an affluent Detroit suburb they say hired a handyman to kill his wife is expected to take about five days.

The preliminary hearing to decide if there's enough evidence to try Robert Bashara for first-degree murder began Monday afternoon.

Witness Patricia Matthews says Jane Bashara complained that her husband flirted with other women, stayed out overnight and stole from her retirement fund in the months before she was strangled.

Quick Clicks

Jane 's body was found Jan 24, 2012, in her Mercedes-Benz in a Detroit alley, a few miles from the couple's home in Grosse Pointe Park. Joseph Gentz has pleaded guilty to strangling her, saying he did so at her husband's behest.

Bashara already is serving up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to trying to hire someone to kill Gentz in jail. He's denied involvement in his wife's death.

Bashara's alleged secret gun focus on Monday

Bashara's own mother took the stand Monday saying her son handed her a pouch to put inside her safety deposit box after Jane's murder. The pouch had a gun in it but she says she did not find that out until months later.

"I opened it up and I saw a gun," she said.

Bashara's mother and cousin both said they immediately handed the weapon over to his attorney at the time, David Griem. However, detectives didn't learn about the gun until last week.

The gun was locked up in Griem's office for more than a year. He says two legal experts told him to hang onto the weapon.

"This isn't something that comes out in evidence 101 or any law school book," Griem told Local 4. "I safeguarded that gun."

Legal expert Todd Flood says Griem now could be in legal trouble for keeping the weapon.

"He could face an obstruction charge, tampering with a witness," Flood said.

Copyright 2013 by ClickOnDetroit.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Comments

The views expressed below are not those of Click On Detroit, WDIV, or its affiliated companies. By clicking on "Post," you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Service and your comment is in compliance with such terms. Readers, please help keep this discussion respectful and on topic by flagging comments that are offensive or inappropriate (hover over the commenter's name and you'll see the flag option appear on right side of that line). And remember, respect goes both ways: Tolerance of others' opinions is important in a free discourse. If you're easily offended by strong opinions, you might skip reading comments entirely.